The 45-year-old reality star is being sued by an artist who claims she and her husband didn't return five paintings she borrowed for exposure on 'The Real Housewives of New York City'.
- September 16, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Aviva Drescher is being sued for not returning paintings she borrowed for exposure on "The Real Housewives of New York City". An artist named Matthew Satz claims Aviva and her husband failed to return five paintings he loaned to them. The couple is also said to have scuttled the sale of one painting and held the other four paintings for ransom.
Matthew says he installed the paintings in June 2013 at Aviva's Upper West Side home for free. According to papers filed on Friday, September 12 in Manhattan Supreme Court, a collector agreed to buy one of the loaned paintings, titled Pink Smoke Painting, for $50,000 a few months ago. Unfortunately, the deal was scuttled because Aviva allegedly refused to return it, demanding for a commission.
Matthew's attorney, Andrew Weinstein, told New York Daily News, "It's shocking that the Dreschers stooped to the level that they had and tried to extract a payment from Mr. Satz."
Aviva argued that Matthew was allowed to take the paintings on Friday, but he did not. She told the site of the artist, "The guy is a crazy artist. He works out of his basement. He's not operating on a full deck."
Andrew stated in the legal fillings that Aviva and her husband were the first who asked for $10,000 to return the paintings. The nominal then went down to $5,000 and they finally agreed to return the artworks if Matthew pays them $2,500 and lets them keep two small works.
The lawsuit is seeking over $620,500 in compensation and punitive damages.
Earlier this month, Aviva was reportedly fired from "The Real Housewives of New York City" after two seasons of the show. She made headlines after throwing her prosthetic leg during a fight on the show's season six finale.
